Book DescriptionFrom critically acclaimed master of suspense J. A. Jance, the New York Times bestselling author of Fire and Ice, comes a nerve-shattering tale of rage and retribution, and a nightmare even death cannot end.Twenty years ago, a darkness rose up out of the blistering heat of the Arizona desert and descended upon the Walker family of Tucson. A personified evil, a serial killer named Andrew Carlisle, brought blood and terror into the Walkers' world, nearly murdering Diana Ladd Walker and her young son, Davy. Now much has changed. The family has grown larger. There's Lani, the beloved adopted daughter—a beautiful Native-American teenager "kissed by the bees" and destined, according to Tohono O'odham lore, to become a woman of great spiritual power. And now the psychopath Carlisle has died in prison, so Brandon and Diana Walker believe they and their loved ones are safe at last. They are wrong. The monster is dead, but his malevolence lives on . . . in another. From Publishers WeeklyJance takes time out from her popular series featuring lawyer J.P. Beaumont (Breach of Duty) and Sheriff Joanna Brady (Outlaw Mountain) with this many-layered but overplotted suspense novel, set in the Arizona desert and suffused with the mystery and otherworldliness of Papago Indian folklore. Ex-con Mitch Johnson takes revenge on prize-winning author Diana Ladd Walker and former Tucson sheriff Brandon Walker by abducting their adopted teenage Papago daughter, Lani . (Years earlier, Brandon arrested Mitch for killing two illegal aliens; Diana blinded and maimed Mitch's prison cellmate when he attacked her.) Just as the vicious Apaches were the Papagos' most feared enemies, so the unredeemingly vile Mitch is the Walkers' relentless waking nightmare, prone to torture. As the search for Lani accelerates, the interplay among the large cast of Anglo and Indian characters, bound together by kinship, upbringing and respect or animosity, increases. The baggage they bring to the story and their interlocking relationships could overwhelm a less accomplished writer, but Jance has a sure hand. As she cuts from one set of characters to another, as well as from past to present, she creates a coherent and engrossing novel that uses the dreamlike Papago creation myth to artfully combine magic and reality; each chapter is introduced with a pertinent portion of the legend. Unfortunately, a few clunky clues stand out like beacons and when justice finally prevails, it's tied up in a package whose neatness seems more magical than real. (Jan.)Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalLike the Tohono O'othham figure Kulani O'oks from tribal legend, little Dolores Lanita "Lani" Walker was kissed by the little people--whites would say neglected--and hospitalized for ant bites. Adopted by Tucson writer Diana Ladd and her husband, Brandon Walker, the former Pima County Sheriff, Lani is now a beautiful young teen. Then she is lured and kidnapped by a recently paroled "representative" of Andrew Carlisle, the vicious killer who stalked Diana back in the 1970s and whom she blinded in self-defense (see Jance's Hour of the Hunter). To survive her captor's brutalization and torture, Lani must rely on her instincts and on what she has been taught by Rita Antone, a surrogate grandmother and friend of Diana. Throughout, Tribal Chairman Gabe "Fat Crack" Ortiz's ability to sense Carlisle's evil presence provides leads. The dark tone and graphic violence may turn off all but the most stalwart Jance fans. Recommended with reservations.---Susan A. Zappia, Paradise Valley Community Coll., PhoenixCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 52
From Liliana Hart’s New York Times bestselling MacKenzie family comes a new story by best-selling author Avery Flynn... "Being one of the good guys is not my thing." Bianca Sutherland isn't at an exclusive Eyes-Wide-Shut style orgy for the orgasms. She’s there because the only clue to her friend’s disappearance is a photo of a painting hanging somewhere in Bisu Manor. Determined to find her missing friend when no one else will, she expects trouble when she cons her way into the party—but not in the form of a so-hot-he-turns-your-panties-to-ash former boxer. Taz Hazard’s only concern is looking out for himself and he has no intention of changing his ways until he finds sexy-as-sin Bianca at the most notorious mansion in Ft. Worth. Now, he’s tangled up in a missing person case tied into a powerful new drug about to flood the streets, if they can’t find a way to stop it before its too late. Taking on a drug cartel isn’t safe, but when passion ignites between them Taz and Bianca discover their hearts aren’t bulletproof either. ** Views: 52
Detective Nigel Strangeways, and his explorer wife Georgia have taken a cottage in the countryside. They are slowly beginning to adjust to a more relaxed way of life when Georgia finds a mysterious locket in their garden and unwittingly sets the couple on a collision course with a power-hungry movement aimed at overthrowing the government.
It will take all of Nigel's brilliance and Georgia's bravery if they are to infiltrate the order and unmask the conspirators. Views: 52
Detroit PI Amos Walker attempts to clear the name of a woman accused of murdering her husband Constance Thayer probably isn’t a nice woman. If she was, she wouldn’t have shot her husband to death. But just because she has a taste for nightlife—drinking, clubbing, and the finest hard drugs—doesn’t mean her husband didn’t deserve it. An automobile magnate in a city where internal combustion still reigns supreme, Doyle Thayer Jr. was a wife-beater with a collection of assault weapons that could furnish an army.At least that’s the story spun by Amos Walker’s new client, a large investigatory outfit hired by Mrs. Thayer to clear her name. Walker’s job is to get the dirt on her late husband, to learn enough about him that her shooting looks like an act of heroism. And please, his new bossbegs, don’t make any waves—a sure sign that the man doesn’t know Amos Walker.This ebook features an illustrated biography of Loren D. Estleman including rare photos from the author’s personal collection. Views: 52
Two novellas and two short stories featuring Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Bill Pronzini's iconic Nameless Detective!Zigzag is an original novella, in which a safe and simple accident investigation becomes the unraveling of a twisted murder scheme. Grapplin, which first appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, deals with the kind of missing person case that can end in only one of two ways, closure or heartbreak.In the second short, Nightscape, readers discover how, indeed, one thing just leads to another (First published in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazineas The Winning Ticket).The final work, Revenant, is another original novella and entangles Nameless in a weird crime with fearful occult overtones. Views: 52
The latest from the New York Times bestselling author of The Potter's Field, winner of the Crime Writers' Association's International Dagger Award, and *The Age of Doubt *
With Inspector Montalbano's most recent outings hitting the New York Times bestseller list, Andrea Camilleri's darkly refined Italian mysteries have become favorites of American crime novel fans. This latest installment finds Montalbano in search of his missing right-hand man.
Before leaving for vacation with Livia, Montalbano witnesses a seagull doing an odd dance on the beach outside his home, when the bird suddenly drops dead. Stopping in at his office for a quick check before heading off, he notices that Fazio is nowhere to be found and soon learns that he was last seen on the docks, secretly working on a case. Montalbano sets out to find him and discovers that the seagull's dance of death may provide the key to understanding a macabre world of sadism, extortion, and murder. Views: 52
The breakout author of The Forgotten Girl and Cemetery Girl, "one of the brightest and best crime fiction writers of our time" (Suspense Magazine) delivers a new novel about a man who is haunted by a face from his past.... When Nick Hansen sees the young woman at the grocery store, his heart stops. She is the spitting image of his college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, who died in a campus house fire twenty years earlier. But when Nick tries to speak to her, she acts skittish and rushes off. The next morning the police arrive at Nick's house and show him a photo of the woman from the store. She's been found dead, murdered in a local motel, with Nick's name and address on a piece of paper in her pocket. Convinced there's a connection between the two women, Nick enlists the help of his college friend Laurel Davidson to investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa's death. But the young woman's murder is only the... Views: 52
#1 New York Times best-selling author of the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache novels, Louise Penny brings her "nerve and skill—as well as heart" (Maureen Corrigan, Washington Post) to selecting the best short mystery and crime fiction of the year. Views: 52
Page Murdock doesn't know why someone wants him dead, but he knows where the hired killers are coming from. Thus begins Murdoch's descent into a hell more decadent, corrupt, and dangerous than even he has ever seen—San Francisco's Barbary Coast. With an unwilling backup man, Murdock takes up temporary residence among the whores, gamblers, dope addicts, and cutthroats of the continent's foulest district. No man here is trustworthy. But perhaps the men who seem respectable are the most insidious of all. Views: 52
"Dawson's suspenseful story builds momentum like an ocean wave. Readers are advised to dive right in." Publishers Weekly
“Mother/daughter feuds, family solidarity, an ecological mystery: Dawson blends these familiar ingredients with a chef’s élan.” Kirkus Reviews
Even private eyes take vacations. So Jeri Howard heads for Monterey for some much-needed rest and relaxation.
Some vacation. Some sicko is mutilating pelicans. Her mother’s fancy restaurant is being sabotaged. And Jeri's cousin Bobby is the number one suspect when his girlfriend’s body washes ashore on the rocks near Big Sur.
It’s never a good idea to turn your back on the ocean. Views: 52
